Beyond Skills: How Personalities Drive Successful Teams

While skills are an important part of what makes an employee a good fit for a role, personality is a vital indicator of whether he or she will truly succeed in the workplace.

A psychometric assessment determines what an employee’s individual personality characteristics are, and how well those traits fit a job description.

In addition, pre-employment testing determines how well a particular candidate will fit within a team dynamic. Moreover, determining someone’s emotional intelligence prevents misunderstandings and conflicts down the line. For example, some employees do not operate well under stress, while others have a hard time receiving negative feedback.

Credentials are not the only measure of a candidate’s potential. In fact, some of your best prospects may not appear strongest on paper. Personality tests gauge a candidate’s core strengths, weaknesses and overall suitability for a particular role and team.

Here are three of the major reasons why personality drives team success.

Reduces Employee Turnover

Not only will a career personality test ensure that you find the best fit for your team, but it will also reduce employee turnover. It is no surprise that people succeed in roles that they have a natural aptitude for, as they’ll feel more confident. As a result, employees are much more likely to stay with their companies. Also, pre-employment testing determines how well an employee will fit with your team, and therefore prevents conflicts and personality clashes down the line.

Creates a Potent Team Dynamic

Although teams strive to have a shared vision of success, not everyone has the same personality, and that’s a good thing.

For example, some people are results-oriented, while others are more relationship-oriented. Having a balance of these personalities, as well as others, means that your team will have cohesion as well as drive. Different personalities have inherent strengths and weaknesses, and having the appropriate mixture of them will determine the success of your team. With that being said, there are some personalities that may not work well together or suit your team’s dynamic. Determining the suitability of a candidate’s personality is a vital step in assessing how well he or she fits into your team.

Prevents Conflict

While it is impossible to prevent all conflicts from occurring in the workplace, a job-fit assessment can help prevent a substantial amount of them. Some personalities will find particular roles frustrating, tiring, or extremely difficult. On the other hand, a well-suited candidate will find the job empowering, exciting, and enjoyable. When employees are truly suited for their careers, they enjoy coming to work every day. They have a decidedly positive approach to their work environment and the role that they place in it.